“I will be the champion for everyday people, leading the charge for universal healthcare, veterans, and seniors. That is my commitment to you.” — Ruta Jouniari

BREAKING NEWS: Margaret Good Refuses to Debate Ruta Jouniari on ABC 7

The Ruta Jouniari campaign has just learned that Margaret Good refuses to participate in a televised debate on Alan Cohn’s show, scheduled for November 28 on ABC 7. The segment was supposed to feature a live interaction between the candidates, but Ms. Good will not participate unless her comments are filmed ahead of time, and there is no interaction with Ms. Jouniari.

Jouniari’s campaign believes that a healthy democracy depends upon an engaged citizenry that chooses its own representatives based on where they stand on the issues. Thus, debates play a critical role in helping voters decide who to support on election day.

“I don’t understand why Margaret refuses debate me,” says Jouniari. “While she and I agree on a number of issues, such as a woman’s right to choose, public education, and the environment, there are clear differences as well. I believe in Medicare for All; she thinks we can put a Band-Aid on the ACA. I will fight for a $15 minimum wage; she thinks people can live on $10.51 an hour. I was very much looking forward to a back and forth exchange with her about the issues, so I’m disappointed, but the real losers are the voters.”

Congress just allowed the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expire, a program that has had bipartisan support since 1997.

CHIP funding must be restored. If not, hundreds of thousands of children in families that make “just a little too much” to qualify for Medicaid yet too little to afford high cost insurance premiums will become uninsured. (more…)